The Intern
by MHCynogriffon
Summary: Tony Stark is nearing the end of his life. With shrapnel still stuck in his failing heart, he has about five more years left before it's sayonara for him. With Pepper gone and nothing else for it, he takes on an intern. He wasn't expecting the boy to be as smart as him, much less a potential lover.


Tony pulled the Windsor knot on his black tie until it was snug beneath his throat, positioning it so the tie was directly centered on his crisp, white dress shirt. He smoothed down the sides of his blazer and brushed the dust off his shoulders. It had been a while since he had worn this particular suit, but today was a special occasion and required a certain level of professionalism.

Sighing, he took the handkerchief that Pepper had given him off of his work table and tucked it into his breast pocket. It had been three months since their latest breakup and he missed her hovering presence and perfectionism. It was much harder to run things without her, but after the things that were said there was no going back.

His new PA, a lovely girl named... Well, she was rather forgettable actually. She handed him a file saying, "Happy's pick. He says you should seriously consider his choice, the top of M.I.T. he said."

Tony nodded at her and glanced through the file. 4.0 GPA, astounding peer reviews, highest recommendations from esteemed professors. Boring, boring, boring. He tossed the file onto his cluttered work table and noticed that the PA was still there, looking around at his office.

"You can leave now." He said rather brusquely and the girl's eyes widened.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, I-"

Tony waved his hand, "It fine. Just go."

She left with a clacking of high heels and a swing of hips. Normally he would have paid attention to those things, but today was different. Instead, he peered into his reflective computer screen and carefully combed his hair, making sure no strand was out of place. After he was satisfied, he called up Happy on his headset, placing it on the table and pressing the speaker button.

"Tony, you're five minutes late already," was Happy's greeting. "the students are starting to get fidgety."

"I'm on my way right now." Tony promised, picking up the headset and carrying it with him out the door. "I'll be there in two."

"Thank you." Happy hung up.

Tony took the stairs two at a time, hurrying towards the auditorium situated in the center of Stark Tower. It was ten floors above the basement and he wanted to keep his word for once.

"Why'd they have to put it so damn far away?" He wondered out loud before remembering he had been the one to design the building. He passed his PA doing paperwork at her desk and gave her a wave before dashing past. Finally, he reached the huge double doors leading to the auditorium. He could hear the rustling and murmuring of the students behind the door and straightened his suit. Opening the doors and striding through, he let them fall shut with a bang behind him, catching the attention of the students and a stressed-looking Happy.

"Tony Stark, everyone." Happy introduced before stepping to the side as Tony took the stand. He glanced around at the rows of eager students waiting to be picked and realized that he really didn't want to do this. But at fifty one with shrapnel still stuck in his failing heart, he didn't have a choice.

His eye caught the face of the boy in the file, a handsome, straight-faced student who didn't seem as distracted as the others. Maybe he would be a good choice.

But then his eye was drawn to a boy, about twenty, sitting in the back row with his head down. As he stared, he realized that the boy was writing in a notebook, his pencil almost a blur he was writing so fast.

"You there. Back row." He called out, catching the boy's attention, "What's that you're writing?"

The boy shrugged, seemingly unconcerned that Tony Stark had just called him out, "A project."

Tony smiled internally, a sense of humor was good. "I get that, but what is it?"

"Just a thing... Not really anything important."

The whole room had turned to stare at this boy who wasn't answering Tony's question. The boy realized this and frowned.

Tony had already made his decision, "Alright, I expect to see you in my office tomorrow morning. I want to know everything you're working on and what your skill level is. Got it?"

The boy looked confused, "Wait, why?"

Tony smirked, "'Cause you got the internship, kid."


End file.
